Credit card processing and merchant services in Abbotsford, BC

Abbotsford's population reached 153,524 at the 2021 Census, up 8.6% from 2016 and ahead of the 7.6% growth for B.C. as a whole. If you sell food there, from a farm stand or a store shelf, your POS needs more than one tax code, because the federal and provincial rules split food in different places.

Start with GST. CRA zero-rates basic groceries, which means they're taxable at 0% in every province, and its examples include fresh, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables, most milk products, fresh meat, poultry and fish, and eggs. Some food doesn't qualify: CRA lists carbonated beverages, candies and confectionery, and snack foods as taxable, so they carry the 5% GST.

B.C.'s PST draws its own line. The province exempts food for human consumption, restaurant meals included, but taxes soda at 7%. Put the two systems together and a basket of berries and eggs rings up with no sales tax at all, while a can of pop from the same cooler carries 5% GST plus 7% PST. A terminal with one tax rate for everything will get one of those sales wrong.

Market tables and farm gates are where mobile payments earn their place. Tap to pay on a phone or a mobile card reader lets you take cards at the table instead of making change. Small baskets suit debit: Interac says a debit transaction costs merchants around 10 cents, and on interchange-plus those taps aren't billed at a credit card rate.

For a store with a full checkout, our POS terminals and retail pages cover setup. Send a statement for a free statement review once you're processing, and see the British Columbia page for every provincial rule.